


Chess Match

by PrepSchoolAda



Series: Wholesome Ada/RK100 Universe [2]
Category: Detroit Evolution - Fandom, Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Bisexual Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Gen, Sequel to another fic, Sibling Bonding, and a sequel to memories!, anyway i miss writing the rk family, bisexual north, no one asked for this but y'all are getting it lmao, or prequel i guess, so here's a prequel to it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24595696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrepSchoolAda/pseuds/PrepSchoolAda
Summary: North, after learning about Ada's past and accepting her for it, urges her to meet Markus properly. Not only is Markus from the same model line as her, but North believes he would also be extremely willing to help her integrate with the world and rehabilitate within it.So Ada meets Markus in his office, and finally talks to her ex-employer.[set between Memories and The RK Family, again not required reading! I tried to make it as accessible as possible]
Relationships: Ada (Detroit: Evolution) & Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Ada/North
Series: Wholesome Ada/RK100 Universe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767982
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Chess Match

**Author's Note:**

> so i asked for quite a lot of suspension of disbelief when i wrote The RK Family lmao. at the start of that fic Connor, Nines and Ada are all siblings, which was alluded to near the end of Memories, but like... Markus is also there?? so this is a little one shot to kind of connect Markus with the other RKs, since he wasn't really in any fics before The RK Family
> 
> it should read ok without having read it??? anyway I hope y'all enjoy!

Ada was returning to Jericho, and she was finally about to meet Markus; third time was the charm, after all.

She could remember the first time she'd graced the halls of Jericho very clearly. It had been mere days after dragging herself out of a Detroit junkyard after forcefully reassembling herself with scraps and parts from lost and broken androids, just lying there, waiting to be repurposed. She'd been looking for Markus. She'd thought he was the most advanced android ever made, and in line with her pre-deviant need to evolve, decided that she would make his operating system her own. Of course, their potential meeting was derailed when she met Nines and instead chose him as her victim.

After Nines freed her from her programming, she returned to Jericho again. She planned to tell Markus everything and beg for forgiveness, and even protection if he was willing to offer it. Their formal introduction was derailed again, this time because she met North upon arrival. North had changed everything. They'd fallen in love so fast and so recklessly, and Ada wouldn't have had it any other way. The only mild inconvenience that arose from those circumstances, however, was that she still hadn't met Markus. North, Nines, and even Connor were now all insisting that she should. North was convinced that Markus could offer her protection, Nines thought Markus would be willing to give her guidance, and Connor thought that Markus would want to meet her too, because he was her "brother". This was the most intriguing reason to meet Markus, and the one that pushed Ada towards finally doing it.

So North had had a delicate discussion with Markus and explained the situation, Markus agreed to meet Ada, and now she was back in Jericho for a third time. It was so surreal.

"North, isn't this weird for you?" Ada said sheepishly as North held her hand guided her to Markus's office. Of course, Ada knew perfectly well where it was, having been employed there for several months. She was just very shaky today and was glad North was there for support, emotionally and physically.

"Why would it be weird?" said North as they approached Markus's door.

Ada raised an eyebrow. "Well... my past as a reluctant android organ harvester aside, you're introducing your new girlfriend to your ex boyfriend."

North gave Ada a confused look before she realised what Ada meant. "Oh. I guess I am. I keep forgetting I dated Markus."

"You... keep forgetting you dated the original deviant leader?"

North shrugged. "A lot has happened since then."

Ada huffed a laugh, rolling her eyes and resting her head on North's shoulder for a moment.

North stopped outside the office, placing a hand on Ada's shoulder.

"Look, don't worry, okay?" she said gently. "When we talked about you guys meeting before, all Markus talked about was how much he wanted to help you. No one is judging you, okay?"

Ada looked away. "Maybe they should."

"Hey, fuck that," said North decisively. "If I don't judge you for your past, no one should. Markus sees it the same way. He's the android leader now, not just the deviant leader. You're our people too."

Ada smiled. North always had a way of calming her anxieties. Which was especially ironic as North also had quite the habit of elevating everyone else's.

North blinked and her hand fell from Ada's shoulder, distracted. She'd received a wireless communication. "Markus says you can go in."

Ada frowned. "Maybe this was a bad idea"-

North groaned, taking Ada's hand and pulling her inside Markus's office. Ada protested by trying to pull her hand away, but North held on tight, determined.

"Hey, Markus!" she called out, despite Markus sitting at a desk within three metres of her.

Ada had never been in this room and couldn't help but take it in. It was exactly what she expected and yet the opposite of what she expected in equal capacity. There were neat and tidy bookshelves and a number of small and out-of-place sculptures that for some reason a considerable number of elected officials insisted upon having in their offices. Yet alongside these commonplace office items, the walls were coated with artwork. Classical art, modern art, abstract art, some pieces that looked like originals and Ada could have sworn she saw a piece of fan art for an early 2000s era anime, too. She wondered if Markus had painted it himself.

Markus himself was quite a sight too, but in a good way. He was sat half slumped in a large, green chair, playing chess with himself and wearing a very comfortable looking thick hooded jacket. It had been a while since she'd seen Markus, and she'd entirely forgot the effect that he had on her. It was the same effect he had on everybody; Ada trusted him immensely and one look into his warm, welcoming eyes assured her that she was safe as long as he was around. She'd seen him speak for the people, and some described him as frightening, but Ada had never seen him that way. He'd always been one of the most comforting presences in her life. She remembered having felt somewhat sorry to lose that when she thought she was going to have to destroy him for his software; she knew for a fact that if she tried to take his, he'd fight back and be lost in stasis forever. And at the time, she hadn't cared.

Markus raised an eyebrow, bemused but not particularly fazed by North's brazen entrance. He regarded her with a casual admiration. Here was someone he deeply respected, but someone he knew well enough to lightly mock as a close friend. It warmed Ada's heart to see a friendship so organic.

"North, graceful as always," said Markus playfully, sitting up straight. "Don't suppose anyone ever told you it's rude to barge into an android leader's office without invitation?"

"Um, we were invited, Markus," said North, laughing a little as they ribbed each other. 

"I think you'll find _she_ was invited," said Markus, smiling and cocking his head in Ada's direction. "Leave us be, you're officially labelled a disturber of the peace."

"At least let me introduce her!" pouted North.

"Oh, you have. Many times. I can't even check my emails without many, many texts from you about your marvellous new girlfriend."

North wrapped her arms around Ada's waist as she stood next to her, sending Ada into an involuntary fit of giggles.

"Well, the people need to know!" said North, squeezing Ada and planting a kiss on her cheek before letting her go. "Okay, I'm out. Don't bore her to death in here."

"Oh, I can't promise that," Markus said in jest. Ada heard North chuckle one last time before she left the room.

Markus turned to Ada, and his expression softened. He wasn't looking at her with pity, that wasn't it. It was more a look of care. He was being careful around her, but not out of fear of who she once was. He just wanted to create as safe an environment for her as possible. It wasn't something Ada expected from anyone, let alone Markus, and she deeply appreciated it.

"Please, sit down," said Markus, gently. 

Ada sat down cautiously, quite literally on the edge of her seat, wanting to take up as little of Markus's space as possible.

Markus cocked his head towards his chessboard. "Do you play?"

Ada gave a half smile and nodded. "Yes, I do. Well, I've never sat down and played it, but I know how to and have downloaded several strategies into my database. Even though I never had much intent to use them. My programming just wanted me to be as knowledgable as possible and..."

Ada trailed off, and Markus gave her another reassuring smile.

"I'd be honoured to be your first chess partner," said Markus. "White or black?"

Ada shrugged, and Markus raised an eyebrow sceptically.

"You must have some idea," he said, curious to hear what her answer would be.

Ada stared hard at the board, considering her answer. "Black. If you move first, I have a better chance of deciphering your strategy."

Markus nodded approvingly. "Good answer." He turned the board around so the black pieces were on Ada's side.

"I don't think we'll do speed chess," said Markus with a chortle, moving a white knight to the front of the rest of his pieces. "Not this time."

Ada smiled, moving one of her own knights in an identical fashion. "You play speed chess often?"

"Not as much as before," said Markus, moving his other knight forward on an equal level to his first. "The human I cared for before the revolution was an avid speed chess player."

"Carl Manfred?" said Ada. "I know you were both very close, North told me."

Markus grimaced. "I miss him every day. He showed me what it means to be alive. In a way, the revolution was his, not mine."

Ada smiled fondly. She'd heard Markus give long, impassioned speeches before, but never a word about his own life or loved ones. It was quite moving, seeing an all powerful android leader be brought to his knees by the mere thought of a kind old man that used to take care of him.

Markus gazed thoughtfully at the board. "We seem to have very similar chess patterns, Ada."

Ada raised an eyebrow. "Knights are the best form of defence."

She moved one of her middle pawns two squares forward. "But I wouldn't want to be too predictable."

Markus grinned, copying her move. Ada's jaw dropped slightly.

"Don't think the white player can't mimic the black player, Ada, you're not ahead of me just yet," said Markus playfully. He watched as Ada decided upon her next move. He'd seen her work often, and very hard, and she applied that same level of concentration and commitment to something as casual as this chess game. It was admirable. He knew he'd hired her for a reason. Speaking of which, he knew they should discuss that.

"So, Ada," said Markus, as Ada moved one of her bishops out onto the field. "You wouldn't happen to want your old job back?"

Ada shook her head, though with a look of gratitude. "No. Thank you, but no."

Markus placed a white knight between Ada's knight and pawn as she spoke.

"North found me a job, actually," said Ada sheepishly. "I am endlessly grateful to you for the opportunity to work as a Jericho community representative, but it wasn't really what I wanted. It was what my programming needed."

Markus seemed genuinely pleased at Ada's happiness, which calmed her fear that she'd offended him.

"What do you do now?" said Markus with interest. 

Ada relieved Markus of his knight. "Other than wrecking android leaders at chess?"

Markus smirked, returning the jab by taking Ada's own knight. "Sure."

"I'm a self defence instructor," said Ada proudly. "I teach classes with two WR400 models. Our organisation specialises in providing androids with protection strategies should they find themselves victims of hate crimes."

Markus gave Ada a look of pure admiration. "That's wonderful!"

"It feels so good," sighed Ada. As they discussed this, they moved pawns around in an awkward dance, seemingly trying to avoid facing the fact that the possibility of either of them winning was looking slim. "I have all these rather undesirable combat skills from my pre-deviancy days, and now I can use them to make a difference. It makes me feel like I'm not a..."

Markus's hand froze on his bishop as he moved it to protect his king. He wasn't looking Ada in the eye anymore. "A what?"

Ada averted her gaze and looked at her queen piece. "A monster, I suppose."

Markus removed his hand from his bishop and looked directly at Ada. "Elijah Kamski is too much of a coward to say this to you, so I will. Ada, I am so sorry."

Ada shook her head, gritting her teeth. "You don't have to say that."

"Yes, I do." Markus was speaking firmly now. Ada recognised this tone of voice from his announcements and rally speeches. It was how he spoke when he needed everyone in the room to listen to every word he was saying, because he meant it. 

"Ada, you were treated abhorrently. You were created to serve the whims of a selfish man, intent on watching the world burn for his own amusement. He refuses responsibility for you, but we do not. You're one of us, you always have been. Your past does not shape you, especially when it was given to you by a man who wrapped you up in a disgusting wall of programming that you only managed to break through by chance. As long as I'm breathing, no harm will come to you. We guarantee your protection."

Ada froze up entirely. North had told her how meaningless her past was in the face of deviancy many times, and that had meant the world to her; North valued android life so highly, after all. Ada still considered it a miracle that North understood her enough to forgive her for what she'd done. Nevertheless, it felt so different coming from Markus. Markus had direct power over the android nation. He had just promised her his protection. He'd meant every single word. This was possible the first time that Ada had ever felt safe without North around, and she knew that after she left Markus's office, she'd carry that security blanket around with her. The weight of the world seemed to fall off her shoulders a little more at every word Markus said.

"I don't think you realise how much I appreciate what you just said," said Ada sincerely.

Markus smiled. "It's my job to protect you, and everyone else. Like I said, you're one of us."

"And according to Connor, I'm your sister," said Ada with a chuckle as their game picked up again.

Markus smiled fondly. "I do love when he calls us all a family. We should get together sometime, all four of us. The RKs."

Ada frowned. "You'd have time for that?"

"Of course," said Markus. "Being an android leader affords me free time every now and then."

"We could all play chess together!" said Ada jokingly. 

Markus laughed. "Let's be honest, we'd leave Connor and Nines in the dust with our skills. We could have a general game night just to keep things fair, include easy games like Jenga."

"Speaking of which..." said Ada. "We seem to have reached a stalemate."

Markus looked at the board with surprise. "That's never happened to me before. Not organically, at least."

"There's a first time for everything, it would seem," said Ada thoughtfully.

Markus stood up and reached out his hand. "It was an honour to meet you officially, Ada."

Ada enthusiastically shook Markus's hand. "You too. More than you know."

Markus gave her one last warm smile. "I'll see you for that game night."

"Absolutely!"

Ada left the office, and as suspected, carried the feeling of safety that Markus had given her with her. It was exhilarating and soothing all at once, and was amplified when North approached her.

"So, how did it go?" said North, beaming as she took Ada's arm in hers and walked towards the exit.

"Well, I now have a third brother, I guess," said Ada, huffing a laugh as she spoke but barely hiding how thrilled she was at this development.

"You are absolutely killing it in the sibling department!" said North, squeezing Ada's hand. "Anything else?"

"We drew at chess. Stalemate."

"That has _never_ happened to Markus before!"

"I know."


End file.
